Imran Potato Gets His Own Vault by Vans Collab

Imran Potato has made a name for himself with his wacky approach to fashion. The streetwear designer is now collaborating with Vault by Vans, bringing his sense of humor and eccentricity to a six-piece collection.

The collaborative collection features the return of the Vans KNU SKOOL. The skate shoe first released in the late ’90s and featured a puffy, oversized design, as did many skate shoes of the era. The KNU SKOOL was re-released in 2015 exclusively via Vans Japan, making this release the first global re-introduction to the silhouette.

Imran’s version of the KNU SKOOL comes in three all-suede colorways: brown cheetah print, asphalt/black cheetah print, and classic black/white. Imran takes the KNU SKOOL’s oversized DNA and further exaggerates the design by adding an overstuffed tongue and thick cotton laces. The model’s signature 3D sidestripe protrudes from the quarter panels, while underfoot is custom-printed Potato waffle soles.

“The KNU SKOOL is the best sneaker silhouette of all time. It’s the shoe I always wanted but couldn’t get because of its mystery—the ultimate unattainable eBay shoe,” says Imran. “The Vault team literally opened the vault for me, and I can’t thank them enough for that. This collaboration is a dream come true, and my most important work to date.”

The collection also features three colorways of the Potato x Vans SK8-HI. All three are adorned with oversized hand doodles that grip the side panels of the shoe. Both the KNU SKOOL and SK8-HI are part of Vans VR3, representing the brands journey towards 100% regenerative, responsibly sourced renewable and recycled materials for the brands top four materials by 2030. Sustainable elements such as a footbed derived partially from sugarcane and EcoWaffle rubber outsoles are implemented with the intention of reducing impacts on the planet.

The Imran Potato x Vans Vault KNU SKOOL VR3 LX & SK8-HI VR3 LX launch on May 18th at 5pm ET on imranpotato.com. The collection will also be available at select Vault by Vans retailers beginning May 21st. Check out all six styles and the campaign imagery below.